Blog

September 29, 2011

First we visited a family of four from Bhutan. This family consisted of a younger married couple, an infant son and a little boy. The father was a teacher in Bhutan. He found a job in the United States working as a custodian. He was at work at the time of visit. The family has relatives in Missouri but none locally. The mother was extremely interested in getting a TV because the children often want to go to other people’s houses to watch TV but she would prefer they stay home. The family lives in an apartment upstairs. It is large and spacious but a bit worn down. The mother was very thankful for our help and was interested in items but often too shy to express. Their infant son is excelling beyond his age. He is walking, sitting up and responding at an advanced level.

The second family we visited is originally from Bhutan and consists of eight family members. Their second floor apartment had multiple rooms, including a small kitchen and moderately-sized living room. The family is in great need of storage. They currently utilize the entire balcony for storage. The family sought refuge in Nepal for nearly 20 years. Many of the children were born in Nepal. They flew from Nepal to Hong Kong to Los Angeles and have been in the United States a little over a month. They have family members who live in the complex and while we were visiting children often stopped by. In Nepal, the father farmed ginger and raised cattle and other livestock. Some of the older children are currently working in hotels. The other children were able to enroll in school at the start of the school year and are enjoying it. The daughter and neighbor served as translators during our visit. The grandmother was busy cooking in the kitchen and offered us food.